Environmental organizations in Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay and a group of scientists have created a network against short- lived climate pollutants, such as black carbon, methane, tropospheric ozone and hydrofluorocarbons. These substances have detrimental impacts on human health and a warming influence on the atmosphere, where they remain for periods of up to 15 years.

The new Latin American Network for the Reduction of Short-Lived Climate Pollutants aims “to work with governments to find and implement effective solutions as soon as possible,” Astrid Puentes, the co-director of the Inter-American Association for the Defense of the Environment and one of the network’s founders, told Tierramérica.

Other participating organizations include the Mexican Environmental Law Center, the Center for Human Rights and the Environment – which will coordinate the network for the first three years – and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, among others.